Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry and Science. What is the Albanese Labor government doing to put downward pressure on energy prices for manufacturers? And where has the government received support or opposition to these reforms?

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to the member for Paterson, who is a big supporter of regional manufacturing and jobs. Australian manufacturers know that we've got their backs—that we've got a strong plan for Australia's existing and emerging manufacturers, to help them grow and thrive; to add value, create jobs and export to the world. But we have also stepped up to act when the situation demanded it.

When Australian manufacturers were faced with a global energy crisis, with the cost of gas and coal soaring, the Albanese government stepped up and stepped in. The actions made a difference. On the Energy Price Relief Plan, the facts, the numbers, are compelling about what it did. Remember: in the second quarter of last year—the final quarter of the Liberal and National government—the electricity prices that confronted Australian manufacturers rose by 60 per cent. You fast forward to the second quarter of this year, where they were predicted to jump 33 per cent, and, in actual fact, based on the recent data, they fell by 1.5 per cent, showing that the Albanese government's Energy Price Relief Plan had helped shield manufacturers from the worst of those energy price spikes.

Now here's how industries that called for help to tackle this problem reacted. Capral's CEO—and I just visited Capral's Bundamba facility in the member for Blair's electorate just the other week—said the government's actions in the short and medium term are an excellent step forward. The Energy Users Association of Australia congratulated the government on a balanced approach, saying it looked after domestic energy users in the national interest. Manufacturing Australia's CEO highlighted that government's the world over are intervening to protect customers, and went on to say that the Australian government is right to do the same. That's the take of Australian manufacturers who knew we stepped up when they needed it most.

But what was the hot take of the catastrophiser-in-chief, the Leader of the Opposition? He went on to make a number of big claims. He said that the Energy Price Relief Plan was a disaster. He said it was a massive con job. This one was a doozy: he claimed it would lead to blackouts! Blackouts, he claimed! No claim too outrageous or absurd! I guess that if the Teflon count is big enough the embarrassment just whooshes straight off—that's what it does! The master of disaster! But what did you expect? This is the party of robodebt, who are only interested when people's lives are miserable. They're not there to help. They voted against the Energy Price Relief Plan and voted against the National Reconstruction Fund but are always there to back their own political interest above the country's interest.